Heart, ... and Mind
by Amby-chan
Summary: Usagi has always been there for Mamoru, but what happens when she finds Mamoru in the arms of another woman, worse.. a prostitute? Yet old habits die hard... Will she sacrifice herself to protect him from the new threat?
1. Heart

Heart,... and Mind  
by Amby-chan aka Lady Ambre  
amby-chan@sailormoon.com  
  
~*~  
Another fanfic from Amby-chan enterprises!!  
  
Yes.. It's another tear jerker.. I'm sorry! *L*   
  
Anyways. This one takes place right after Ail and Ann, but before the Dark Moon family. You'll get it, I'm sure. *G*   
  
COMMENTS go here: amby-chan@sailormoon.com .. Don't worry, I'll tell you at the bottom too!  
~*~  
  
Chapter One: Heart  
  
Usagi stormed out of the building, slamming the door behind her as she went. Tears were in her eyes, her azure eyes blazing. Behind her, Mamoru pushed through the door, looking upset. "Usako, wait," he called softly, his eyes taking in his love's set shoulders and angry stance. "Usako... It wasn't what it looked like, you've got to believe me!"   
  
"Don't call me Usako, Mamoru!" Usagi suddenly cried, whirling around and shaking her fist at him. Tears fell down her cheeks as her voice reached a high pitch. "I saw you with her Mamoru! I saw you this time, kissing her! KISSING her! Don't tell me that it wasn't what it looked like!!"  
  
"Usako, I wasn't kissing her-"  
  
"Oh?" Usagi replied, her voice cracking. "So, you just HAPPENED to have your tongue in her mouth?"   
  
"I didn't-"  
  
"STOPPIT!! Just stop it!! I don't want to hear it anymore Mamoru. I'm sick of the all the lies, all the cover-ups! It's over!" She raised her hand, and he saw the Promise Ring he'd given her gleaming on her finger, along with his promise of eternal love. She pulled it off, and then threw it at him. His heart dropped with the ring as it flashed once in the sunlight, and clattered to the ground. "Stay away from me Chiba Mamoru! I don't want to see you ever again!"   
  
And with that she was gone.   
  
"But Usako..." he whispered softly, watching her gold frame slip like a wraith through the shadows, running.. running away from him. He watched her until her golden frame was gone from his sight, his head lowered, shoulders slumped. Tears of pain rolled down his cheeks as he looked down at the ground.   
  
"Forget her." A sensual, sultry voice reached his ears, a soft hand slipping over his shoulders, kneading his knotted muscles. He tensed even more under her touch, turning his head slightly to look at her, anger in his eyes.   
  
"Keisei. Get away from me. You planned this, you damned woman, and you know it." Keisei looked offended, her beautiful auburn hair glistening as she pressed a hand in an exagerated motion to her chest, a chest that was bared by a deep V neck top that barely hide her endowments.   
  
"Me?? Oh Mamo, you know I'd never do anything like that. I was simply expressing my love for you. She shouldn't have gotten so upset. I mean, we could have both shared you..." Her voice was low, seductive as she gently slipped a hand down the back of his shirt, smiling teasingly. He coldly straightened, grabbing her wrist in an iron grasp.   
  
"Get. Away. From. Me," he snarled, and threw her hand from him. She made a soft noise of indignancy and horror, watching angrily as he turned, stalking away from her. She didn't follow him, didn't need to. Her effort here was done for the night. She'd gotten Mamoru away from Usagi. Hurting Usagi would now would save her later...   
  
"I'm sorry to do this to you Usagi..." Then she turned and began to walk away, back to her apartment.   
  
As she walked, she pulled on a black jacket, one that she'd certainly not been carrying before.   
  
  
Usagi ran.   
  
She ran as fast as she could from Mamoru's house, crying heavily. She couldn't wipe the picture from her mind, couldn't believe that her Mamoru would have done what she'd seen him doing. But she'd seen all that she needed to see.   
  
She'd just come to Mamoru's apartment, smiling happily, carrying in her arms her school books and some decent-looking cookies. Lita had been helping her, and she was sure Mamoru would love chowing down on her cookies as he helped her study. Then perhaps, after studying, they could cuddle on the couch, watch some TV, talk quietly until she had to go home.   
  
His door had been ajar. Half of her hated herself for opening the door, for she would have been spared the sight that awaited her, the other half was glad she knew the truth. For as she pushed open the door, speaking Mamoru's name soft, curiously, her eyes had fallen on Mamoru. And the woman.   
  
Kuchikukan Keisei. She reckognized her from the arcade. She'd been hitting on Mamoru a few days past, but Usagi had dismissed it as readily as Mamoru dismissed Keisei's advances. But now, .. Keisei was pushed up against the wall, her leg wound around Mamoru's, and.. Mamoru was kissing her. Passionately.   
  
She must have cried out or something, dropped her books for sure. Mamoru turned and looked at her, and his eyes had widened. "No.. Usako.." He'd said softly, pushing away from the woman and stepping towards her, his arms outreached. She'd backed away, tears in her eyes. "Usako.." he'd pleaded.   
  
"You bastard!!" She'd yelled, thrown the cookies she'd baked with such care at his head, and bolted out of there as fast as she could have gone. Mamoru had chased her.   
  
She couldn't believe it! Her boyfriend! The love of her life! Her only love! Had been kissing another woman! A slut no less!! "Mamo!" she sobbed, "how could you??" Didn't he love her? What had she done wrong? What did that woman have that she didn't?   
  
Turmoil boiled through her, the need for Mamoru, the hate she felt at the sight, the pain at being betrayed, the sudden burning desire for Mamoru to hurt as she was hurting now. But she didn't want him to hurt.. she loved him! But part of her argued with her. Look what he'd done to her!  
  
And so, she was running, as fast as she could, towards the nearest haven: Rei's temple.   
  
  
(Two Days Later)  
"Usako.." Mamoru pleaded softly, spreading his hands wide. Usagi refused to look at him, instead took the books from him, wincing away from his touch, not meeting his eyes, her whole demeanor cold and harsh.   
  
"Thank you Chiba-san for bringing my books back to me." He winced slightly at her tone. It was hurt, angry, harsh, cold, and arrogant, all in one. He sighed again, putting his hand on her shoulder, murmuring his pet name for her. She shook off his hand.   
  
"It wasn't what you think, I swear! She forced herself on me!" Mamoru said desperately. He needed his Usagi back! Oh kami, he prayed, please let her believe me. Slowly she raised her head, and his heart sank. Her eyes were two cold sapphires, glinting with anger, rage.. Hate.  
  
"I thought you were a cheater and bastard before, Mamoru. But now I know you're a spineless liar!! You take advantage of a girl and then say she FORCED herself ON YOU??" Usagi put her hand on the door handle, chin held high, eyes blazing. Mamoru had come to give her books back, come to her house, to apologize as well. Not having her, having her angry at him, was driving him crazy inside. He'd failed to get her back, he realized. In fact, he'd only succeeded in driving her further from him.. "Get away from me Mamoru. GET AWAY FROM ME!!"   
  
She slammed the door shut in his face.   
  
  
(Three Nights Later)  
"What is it?" Sailorjupiter turned to Sailormars, brushing her long brown hair out of her eyes. The scout with the raven hair was frowning slightly, looking out over Tokyo from their vantage point on top of the temple's roof.   
  
"I don't know.." She said after a moment, her smooth voice slightly upset. "I can.. feel it. It's horrible. A terrible energy."   
  
"Let's find it and destroy it." Sailormoon's voice cut into their thoughts as she, Luna, Artemis, Sailorvenus, and Sailormercury walked up. Sailorjupiter and Sailormars exchanged looks. Ever since Usagi had seen Mamoru kissing Keisei, she'd changed. Drastically. She never laughed anymore, and the carefree, ditzy girl was gone. Instead, she was now a responsible, mature young adult. While her friends were glad to see an end to her ceaseless, idle babble, and constant clutz attacks, they worried about her. She never seemed to have any fun anymore. Luna had confided that she cried herself to sleep nearly every night. She looked horrible as well, her face pale and drawn, set as if there was a metal shield between her and the rest of the world. She was pessimistic and overly-realistic; no longer did she dream about a future, but seemed to have given up in a way.   
  
"Let me see where it is," Sailormercury said quietly, to shift the attention away from Sailormoon's hard voice and the tension it created. There was a soft whoosh as her visor came out, and she tapped on her comp pad for a moment.   
  
"When did you feel its prescence, Sailormars?" Sailorjupiter asked, turning back to the priestess.   
  
"When I was meditating. I was chanting, when all of the sudden, the fire was turned totally black. Then, it went out." Sailormars shook her head as the Scouts fell silent, surprised. They all knew it just as well as she; when the Sacred Fire went out, it portended death.   
  
"Very, very very bad..." Sailorvenus muttered, looking down at Luna and Artemis, who sat very quietly, staring out over the roofs. Then, coming to control of herself, she sighed. "It's got to be a Cardian; there's really no other explanation."   
  
"Not necessarily," Luna spoke suddenly. "There are other evil forces in this world. The Negaverse is not the only thing that could have caused this attacks."   
  
"She's right," Artemis supplied. "There are many, many things that could threaten Earth. I mean, the Kisenian Blossom wasn't from the Negaverse, but it was defintely very evil." ((Author's Note: I've always said that the SMR Movie goes right after Ail and Ann's departure, and before the Black Moon. That's the only time it makes sense.. :D ))  
  
"Right. We can't go in making assumptions," Sailormoon said, subtly assuming the leadership position, surprising Sailorvenus as well as Luna and Artemis. The Sailormoon they'd known all of their lives would never have taken control. She would have waited for someone to tell her what to do. Just how much had Darien's betrayal changed her?  
  
Just then, Sailormercury smiled. "Got it."   
  
"Where?" came Sailormoon's voice, all business.   
  
Sailormercury shot a glance full of meaning at Sailormars, speaking softly. "It's on the school grounds. Near the cherry trees."   
  
"Let's go," Sailormoon said, gripping her hands together, her eyes hard. The Scouts nodded quietly, following her as she began to run, leaping from the temple to the steps, then onto the wall and across the roof tops.   
  
They ran in silence, the only sounds the sounds of the city around them, their soft breathing, and the hollow thumps of their shoes on the rooftops. The school was dark, yet there was a glow coming from the small park filled with the cherry trees, an evil glow.   
  
"Spread out," Sailormoon instructed. "Come at the glow from different sides. Sailorjupiter, lead the attack. When you hear her start her mantra, attack. Got it?" The Scouts nodded, more than a bit shocked at the fact that Sailormoon, their Sailormoon, had just come up with a plan that actually made sense. "Move!"   
  
Sailormoon immediately began heading straight for it. Sailormars and Sailorjupiter went to the right, Sailormercury and Sailorvenus moving towards the left. Luna and Artemis followed Sailormoon, creeping through the bushes to watch the Scouts in action.   
  
Azure eyes, carefully shielded from the world around her, meticulously scanned the clearing. The youma was standing in the center of the plaza, a large fire in front of it, which it generally powered up by spitting on. It was green, and scaly, with spikes down its back and the back of its legs. Its face was contorted, into a long funnel type deal, which it used to spit fire out. Presumably just fire, but it wasn't for sure.   
  
Just then, a voice came to her ears as electric white energy gathered at one point to her right. "Supreme Thunder Dragon!!!" came Sailorjupiter's voice, along with a great electric dragon, winging out of the darkness and tearing towards the youma, impacting and erupting with a great burst of white electricity.   
  
Seconds later, came three more voices.  
"Fire Soul Bird!!!"  
"Crescent Beam Shower!!!"   
"Sabon Freezing Spray!!!"   
  
Three attacks tore towards the youma, lighting up the darkened clearing. Smoke curled out about as the attacks all impacted at the same time. Leaping forward from her hiding attack, Sailormoon pulled the Cutie Moon Rod from behind her back, her eyes grim.   
  
"Moon Princess Halation!!!"  
  
The youma had struggled to its feet, smoke oozing out from its funnel-like mouth. Now it raised its head, and shrieked in sudden surprise as the attack hit it full force. A silver wave swept down it, turning it to a statue of moondust, that the wind picked up and carried away.   
  
The Scouts stood staring at each other.   
  
"That was too easy.." Sailormars said softly. "I don't think that's what I felt. It was way too weak."   
  
"I agree. There's something going on here.." Sailorvenus turned in a full circle, her long blonde hair glistening a soft butter color in the half darkness and the flickering light of the fire, that even now was beginning to die.   
  
"Oh yes. Something is going on here, Sailor Scouts. Something your pitiful powers won't be able to handle." She walked slowly out from the midst of the fire, her hips sashaying confidently, head held high. Her long hair swept out behind her, her form paused against the backdrop of the fire, a backdrop that kept them from seeing anything but her eyes -- her burning, dancing, irredescent blue eyes.   
  
She paused, her hand on her hip. Her gaze swept over them with that curious searing cold feeling, resting the longest on Sailormoon. Sailormoon shivered; the woman continued.   
  
"I will give you one chance. Hand over the one you call Tuxedokamen and I will spare your lives."   
  
"He's not even here," Sailormoon snapped, her eyes hard at the sound of her former love's name. The woman paused, then, ever so slowly, her gaze raised to a tree behind them, penetrating the darkness.   
  
"You can come out now, Tuxedokamen.." Her voice contained a light chuckled, one hand raising to brush her hair out of her eyes. "I can sense you though you try and hide it. Come to watch your love fight, and perhaps even.. die?"   
  
Then, he landed on his feet lightly, having pushed himself out of the darkness of the tree he'd been concealed in. Sailormoon didn't even glance at him, instead she kept her eyes firmly fixed ahead, staring at the woman. His cape rustling out in back of him, he straightened, carefully keeping his eyes from Sailormoon's form.   
  
"What do you want? Who are you? I demand you tell me." His voice was quiet, yet slightly strained, as if he was extremly close to bursting out with emotions.   
  
The woman smiled, or at least, they expected she had, because her next words were filled with that small, smirking tone that colored her voice. Her silouette was hard to read, but her tone all too plain. "My name is nothing you would recognize, but,.. I shall give it to you anyway. As I am now, I am called Enjou. And you ask what I want? It's simple. I want-" here her eyes suddenly began to blaze, and she raised one hand, her voice reaching a painful pitch "to kill you!!"   
  
The fire suddenly blazed and the Scouts flung their hands up to protect their eyes against the sudden light. A tendril of flame leaped up from the main body of the fire, spiralling around her arm, to shoot out -- straight at Tuxedokamen.   
  
Tuxedokamen lowered his arm slightly, his eyes widening at the sight of the fire filling his vision. He had to move, but there was no time! Suddenly, his name reached his ears, shrieked out, shattering the air which was filled with searing heat. "Usako?" His mind wondered, his head moving slowly to search for her.. But she hated him-  
  
And then she was standing in front of him, her arms and legs spread out, hair whipping back, singing in the extreme heat. He reached for her, her form haloed by the fire that was even now whipping towards them, ready to push her out of the way, wanting her to leave, praying to all the stars in the heavens for a miracle.   
  
A miracle that didn't come.   
  
Her scream stilled the stars in their orbits, shattered the peaceful midnight air, the orange fire engulfing her in its brightly horrendous embrace, her cry of pain still echoing on the breeze.   
  
The fire died away. She stood, swayed, then slowly collapsed to the ground, her flesh burned and blackened, her beautiful eyes closed, her fuku burnt nearly totally away.   
  
There was a second of silence, then chaos erupted.   
  
The Sailorscouts cried out, Luna and Artemis bursting out of the bushes to dashed towards Sailormoon's body. Tuxedokamen dropped to his knees beside Sailormoon's body.   
  
"Sailormoon!! Usako! Oh kami, please talk to me.. Don't die on me Usako!!! Don't die on me!!!"   
  
"We have to get her to a hospital!" Sailormercury said worriedly, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to control it.  
  
Sailorjupiter, tears rolling down her cheeks, whirled around, her hands clenched into fists. "Are you happy?!" she screamed at Enjou. There was no reply. Enjou had both her hands pressed to her mouth, standing quietly still.   
  
"I.. I didn't realize.. she'd.. she'd still.. try and .. save him... I.. I should have known..." Step by step, she advanced on them, her voice soft as she continued to speak. The fire, once raging out of control, seemed to dim and drawn in on itself, as if it was no longer being fed. Yet, still she advanced, towards the small knot of Sailors.   
  
"Stay away!" Sailorjupiter broke the tension that filled the clearing as Enjou advanced, throwing herself bodily at the woman with a cry that shocked all of the Scouts back to their senses.   
  
Enjou raised her head, staring wonderingly at Sailorjupiter, her irredscent eyes lost, confused. Then, suddenly they clarified, sharpened, hardened, and the woman flung her hands up, her long hair streaming out at her sides. "No! I won't let you hurt her anymore! I've been through too much to lose her now!!"   
  
The Scouts cried out in unison as Sailorjupiter flew back, flung out of the air by Enjou's power. Turning, Sailormars leaped to attack, but she was flung back as well by the wild-eyed Enjou. The woman was beyond all rhyme and reasoning, her powers lashing out like her rage, palpable and hurtful. Slowly, her steps sounding like thunder, she stepped forward, brushing away Sailormercury's Aqua Illusion as if were merely an annoying mosquito.   
  
Then, it was simply her and Tuxedo Mask, staring at each other, Sailormoon's still form laying between them. The black clad knight raised his eyes, tears streaming down his face as he stared at Enjou, hate radiating from his gaze.   
  
When he spoke, it was in the state of his heart: broken. "She's .. dead. Don't you understand? She's DEAD! Because of YOU! YOU KILLED HER!!"   
  
"NO!!" Enjou's shriek shattered the stillness of the night as she clapped her hands to her ears. "I won't listen to this any more Prince Enydmion! You bastard, you brainswashed her! Its your fault!! I don't know why I ever thought otherwise. You did it then and now you're doing it again! You're hurting her, my poor, dear Serenity!!"   
  
And then she was shoving Tuxedokamen back from Sailormoon, the cape clad Prince flying back to a tree with a heart-wrenching cry of pain as he crumpled to the ground. Her hands shaking slightly, Enjou tearfully smoothed Sailormoon's crumpled hair, talking as one would to a wounded animal.   
  
"Don't you worry, my dearest.. Don't you worry anymore. I'm going to take you away from here, and I'm going to give you the life you deserve, the life free from his evil tricks and lies. I'm going to show you the love you should have had, not his trickery.. Don't worry.."   
  
Then, crooning softly, she stood, taking Sailormoon into her arms, still talking as she backed up. Tuxedokamen pushed himself up, reaching out one trembling hand towards the retreating Enjou.   
  
"No, please..." His broken whisper went unnoticed as a shower of golden petals flourished around Enjou and Sailormoon. When the flower petals fell to the ground, the two were gone.   
  
Tuxedokamen fell back to the ground, sobbing. "Please bring her back.. My love.. My only love.. Serenity.... I need you..."   
  
  
(One day later)  
They were a quiet gathering, grouped together on the steps of Rei's temple, the peaked roofs glistening in the morning light. It was Saturday, early Saturday morning, but none of them heeded the chill bite that heralded the coming of snows and winter. They, as one, were thinking  
  
-What if Usagi were here? She'd charge up the steps, breaking the silence with her shrill piping laughter, explaining that she was late because she had over slept and Luna hadn't bothered to wake her up. Then she'd clutz out going up the steps, giving Rei ample opportunity to yell and snipe at her. They'd get into a humungous fight, only to be laughing and joking the very next minute..-  
  
"I.. I just can't seem to make myself believe.. She's really gone.." Minako's voice was the first to timidly enter the silence between them, to brave the grief-filled tension that filled the entire clearing, making it hard to breathe and harder to remain tear-free.   
  
"She can't be! She just can't be.." Makoto replied, her voice cracking and breaking as she hung her head, staring down at the ground, her hands clenched into fists so hard her fingernails cut into her skin.  
  
"She is," Rei said softly, free of her usual harshness. "And we have to go on." Her voice shook them free of their sorrow, pushed them back into sensibility.   
  
"I know what I'm going to do," Makoto pushed herself from the step, turning to face them, her fists clenched, eyes flashing fire and hate. "I'm going to find that bitch Enjou and I'm going to show her just how much Sailor Scouts don't like losing their leader!"   
  
"Ami!" Minako snapped, drawing the blue haired girl's attention. "Can you make us a program to trace all the negative energies in the city? Maybe then we can figure out where she is and nail her ass!"   
  
The ring of hard-eyed, fisted girls stared at each other, their minds set and made up, a grief-strengthed determination welling out of their tears and regrets to push them back up. They were going to find Enjou.   
  
And when they found her, they were going to kill her.   
  
  
~*~   
That's it! Finalé of Chapter One!  
What do you think?   
Like it?   
Hate it?   
Wanna see more?? EMAIL ME at amby-chan@sailormoon.com  
Or for those of you who can, REVEIW, please! Thanks!  
Ambychan 


	2. Mind

Heart,... and Mind  
by Amby-chan aka Lady Ambre  
amby-chan@sailormoon.com  
  
~*~  
Hey! Yes, it's the next part of the Heart,... and Mind saga! I'm pretty sure there are going to be three parts. I already know what's going to happen, it's just a matter of how long it turns out to be and whether or not it comes out the way it's supposed to.   
  
So.. Remember to review it for me and make sure it gets to me! Thanks! Email at the bottom, and ENJOY!!  
~*~  
  
Part Two: Mind  
  
  
Mihari paused, resting her hand on the cool marble table top, cultured fingers curling around her hands, clenched together so tight that her knuckles were white. Her soft blue eyes watched her sister carefully, watching for the slightest twinge of pain to use as an excuse to keep the fraile girl home. "Are you sure you want to do this?"   
  
Mikasuki, Mika for sort, raised her head to look at her older sister, her own blue eyes twinkling with amusement at her sister's over protectiveness, running a hand through her short ebony hair, grinning still. "You worry too much. I'll be fine."   
  
"No.. No, I don't worry too much," Mihari said, crossing the room to her little sister, putting a hand on her thin shoulder. Gods, she still looked so thin. She'd been so close to dying; Mihari had been so afraid... She ignored the clench in her heart that the thought of losing Mika caused, managing to smile at her bright, spritely little sister.   
  
"Sis! I'm fine! The doc says I've fully recovered from my.." Her eyes darkened slightly, matching the darkness in Mihari's that both felt at this statement, "...illness. I'm going to be fine." She shook the darkness from her eyes and smiled brightly, a false brightness to be sure, but at least she was making the effort. "Sides, it's just school. What can be so bad about that?"   
  
"Sister dear, school can be one of the most dangerous places to be." Mika shot Mihari a look, but the elder didn't deem it necessary to illuminate on that point. Mika shrugged. She'd be late if she didn't get down to the bus stop in the next five minutes. As if sensing her thoughts, Mihari held out a small lunch bag, decorated with hearts, moons, and suns. Mika grinned and squealed delightedly over it. She knew the food inside would be prepared to perfection. She herself couldn't boil water, but her older sister was simply amazing with food. She could have been a chef for one of the best restaurant in Tokyo.   
  
"Thanks sis! I'd better get down to the bus stop.." Mika reached out and snagged her backpack. She wore her school uniform with a black turtleneck underneath and black stockings under the long skirt. She had special permission; it was her "illness".   
  
It was really to cover the hideous scars that crisscrossed the young girl's body, evidence of the tragic accident she and their parents had endured. Mihari reached out and caught her sister's wrist, grinning. "Why don't I drive you? I can be late, just today..."   
  
Mika grinned widely. "That'd be great!" She didn't look forward to school, despite all the reassurances she'd given Mihari. It'd just be another place for people to stare at her, gawk at her, whisper about her and mock her. She smiled at Mihari, her only real friend, the only one who really loved her or would every really love her. She didn't care, Mihari was more than enough for her.   
  
Mihari grinned widely. "All right, then. Let's go." She slipped her arm around Mika's shoulder and the two started out, after Mihari grabbed her purse. Mihari was one of the advisors for a law firm that was really big in Tokyo. From what Mika gathered from her elder sister herself and others, Mihari was one of the smartest, most wily of the advisors. The firm had won several cases because of her.   
  
The two headed for the elevator to take them down to the first floor, where Shitsuji, their butler and steward, had prepared the car. On the way they waved to Karei, the maid for the condo. She smiled, waved, and continued dusting.   
  
Mika was slightly paler than usual, her shoulders set in that "I'm tense" position. Mihari glanced at her several times as they climbed into the sleek black Ferrari and pulled out of the parking lot towards the school. The drive was conducted in silence that said both were worried about the day to come, Mihari on Mika's behalf and Mika because of her dream.   
  
For as long as she could remember, Mika had gotten dreams. Horrible dreams, dreams filled with flashes of strange power and undescribable pain. They seemed to be portends, but always at the end a splendid golden-haired princess would offer her hands to Mika. "Come back to us..." And the dream would end. She couldn't help but think that it meant something horrible was about to happen to Mihari. Whenever the dream came, it was always somehow distant, as if it wasn't really through her eyes, she was simply picking up on it, like someone would listen to a raidio.   
  
"Miko?" Mika turned her head to look at her sister. Miko was her sister's pet name for her, had been ever since they were kids growing up together. Mika smiled softly, reassuringly, noticing absently that they were at school already. Mihari reached out and grasped her sister's hand. "Do you want me to come in with you?"   
  
"No, I'll be alright." Mika hugged her sister then got out of the car quickly, heading for the school. She turned slightly to wave over her shoulder, calling back. "See you when I get home, 'Ari!"   
  
Mihari watched her go, glanced around, then opened her hand. In her palm was a small pin, glistening brightly. She curled her fingers back around the shining object, and sighed. She'd better get to work. She didn't want to be late again. Last time Mr. Bengoshi had nearly had a heart attack. So, shifting into gear, she headed for work.   
  
  
Ami scribbled hastily on a notepad, her black sweater stark against the brightness of the classroom. She and the other Scouts had taken to wearing black, still in mourning. Yet just that minute she'd detected something.. something odd. She glanced up from her desk to see a new student standing in front of the class. Odd, an exchange student this close to the end of the school year? Ami shrugged it off. The girl looked as if she was ready to faint at any moment: she was pale and trembling slightly, her eyes looking down ward, slightly curly ebony hair reaching down a couple inches past her shoulders. Ami glanced at Mina and then Lita. Lita was staring off into space while Mina was also writing, doodling perhaps because her pen was moving in slow, lazy circles.   
  
The teacher said something more, the usual lecture that they'd all heard so many times before, and told the girl to take a seat in back of Mina. Ami glanced at her one more, then the lesson began.   
  
  
Mika was miserable. All the kids seemed to have their own little cliches, and were avoiding her. She was sure that her strange dress had more than something to do with it. People always figured she had some sort of highly communicable disease when they saw her and few were brave enough to approach her. She sighed, sitting down underneath a tree, unfolding the lunch Mihari had lovingly prepared for her. There was even a little note in it wishing her a happy day, and Mika smiled widely.   
  
It helped her get through the rest of the day, which, if possible, was even worse than it had been before. As she was walking home, for she didn't feel like taking the bus, she fought back tears. She hated being alone.. She wanted to be home right then with Mihari, who loved her and accepted her for who she really was.   
  
She sighed, brushed the tears out of her sky-blue eyes, and kept walking.   
  
Suddenly there was a loud crash, making her skid to the side nervously as a man strode towards her. He'd dropped the boxes he was carrying.. She must have offended these people in some way, yet again. She felt tears grow in her eyes, only to gasp in surprise when the man's hands wound around her upper arms. She hadn't realized he'd come towards her and now he was right in front of her, his grip as strong and hard as steel.   
  
A startled gasp tore from her throat as her ebony hair flew around her, her eyes meeting the blue eyes and black hair of another. He was tall, and elegant, surely a man of good taste. Yet his face was lined, etched with fatigue and grief, stark against his young appearance.   
  
"Oh.. kami..." His azure eyes seared her skin as they swept over her trembling frame, his hands gripping her so tightly they hurt. Mika stared up at him, trying not to scream, terror in her eyes. As if sensing her fear, the man suddenly released her, not drawing away. "Usako?" His voice was soft and searching, tender.   
  
It struck a chord deep within her. She hated it immediately. His voice, the very timbre of it, what he called her,.. she hated what it did to her. Such pain and hurt welled up in her at it along with a profusion of fear and confusion that she instinctively lashed out at him, pushing him away. "No!" She stumbled back, her books scattered on the pavement. "I don't know who you're talking about. My name isn't Usako! It's Mikasuki -- not Usako!! Not Usako," she repeated softly, almost as if forcing herself to believe it. Gods, what was happening??   
  
He hadn't heard a word she'd said. "It is you! I know your voice, I know the way you move, your eyes. You're my Usako!" He reached out and pulled her to him, crushing her to his wide chest. She felt a thousand sears of pain, pulling at each of the wounds that were just barely healed, whimpering softly with pain that he didn't seem to know he was causing her.  
  
Mika cried out again, struggling softly. "Stop please!" She gasped out, tears falling down her face. "Please.. Help me..." But he couldn't hear her. He was holding her against him, stroking her hair, murmuring about his Usako, how much he'd missed her. He was too strong; she was too weak.. She couldn't get away from him and there wasn't anybody around to help her. "Help me!" she cried to the empty air, feeling the pain take her toward unconciousness. She was so tired... "Help me..."   
  
"MIKO!" The cry was like an eagle's scream, renting the still air apart. Then Mihari was there like a whirlwind, pulling Mika away from the man, a well-place punch and kick sending him reeling back. "Leave my sister alone bastard!" She hissed, standing between Mika and the man.   
  
"It's you again!" The man staggered to his feet, blue eyes glittering with rage. "It's you, you witch! You took her away from us, left us thinking she was dead! But she isn't! You can't have her, Enjou. You can't. I won't let you. She deserves to be with us."   
  
Mika pulled her legs up under herself, her arms wrapped tightly around her shaking form. She was so scared so.. there was something else inside of her begging to get out, but she didn't know what it was, what the key was to releasing whatever it was. And now the man was talking like he knew Mihari, knew both of them. But it was impossible! They'd just moved to Tokyo, and before that they'd never lived anywhere near Japan, even though they'd moved a lot...   
  
"You don't deserve my Miko, even if we knew what you were talking about! Gods! If you truly cared about her, you would have realized how much pain you put her through!" Mihari's voice was shaking with anger and rage. Spitting on the ground in front of the man, her voice took on a deadly softness. "Stay away from her, bastard. If you don't, your fate, I'll assure you, will be much worse than you could have ever dreamed of."   
  
She turned then, kneeling by Mika, wrapping her sister in soft, warm, loving arms. "Oh gods, Miko. Are you all right? Are you all right my dearest sister?" Mika couldn't speak. Her throat was clogged with tears and fear so she simply nodded slightly. Mihari slid her arms under Mika's knees and behind her back and lifted her as if she were nothing more than a paperweight.   
  
"Let's go home now, all right?" Mika buried her face in Mihari's chest, fighting back tears, nodding furiously. Then Mihari cast one more glance at the man, her eyes taking on a dark irredescence for one split second, one downward swoop of her long eyelashes.   
  
"Stay away from my moon child, Mamoru Chiba."   
  
And then she turned and carried Mika off towards the apartment, leaving Mamoru alone in the small street.   
  
  
"It was her."   
  
The shadows seem to jump and leap at the simple statement that fell into the small room like a ton of bricks. Ami jumped slightly at the dark ominous ring to them, glancing around at Minako who stared out the window without seeing anything, Makoto who looked as if she was ready to tear something apart, and Rei who seemed as if she wasn't listening. Ami turned her eyes back to Mamoru, who stood silently near the entrance, black hair falling in haunted blue eyes, hands jabbed viciously into their pockets. She cleared her throat, hesitant to break the silence.   
  
"How do you know?"  
  
Mamoru turned his eyes back to Ami, and she couldn't help but flinch under their heavy gaze. "I would know Usako no matter what disguise the witch puts on her. It was Usako. She's alive."   
  
"Then why did she go with Enjou? Mamoru, if it really was Usagi, wouldn't she have been glad to see you? From what you say, she seemed terrified of you." Rei spoke now, raising her dark brown eyes to stare at Mamoru, her brow furrowed. Above anything else she wanted to believe Usagi was alive. It would mean she hadn't lost the one friend she valued above all others.. It would mean she'd have a second chance to make amends. But...   
  
"We can't just believe you, Mamoru. Believe me, we want to, but.. You're forgetting, we were there. We saw what Sailormoon looked like. How could she still be alive?" Minako's voice was soft, slightly husky from the grief they all felt so clearly.   
  
"You don't believe me?.. Fine. I'll prove it to you. Tomorrow."   
  
The girls exchanged glances with each other, their eyes speaking of their reluctance to believe. Yet they saw in each others' eyes the same sparkling hope that they had always kept in their hearts for the many months Usagi had been dead that would not be denied. They looked to Minako; in Sailormoon's absense, she had quietly and subtly assumed the roles of leadership.   
  
"All right, Mamoru. We'll go with you. Just.." She paused, then look at them. "Who's going to tell Luna and Artemis?"   
  
"You don't need to worry about that, Minako. We heard it all." They started as one as Luna and Artemis stepped out of the shadows behind Rei's bed, all except Rei. She looked away guiltily as the eyes of the other girls fell on her.   
  
"It felt wrong.. leaving them.. out of it. I couldn't let that happen..."   
  
Makoto glanced at the other three, then down at the cats, then back to Rei, a small, wan smile spreading over her lips. "It's all right Rei. It's probably better that they were here anyways."   
  
"So what are we waiting for?" Artemis demanded. "Let's hear what Mamoru has planned. If this girl is really Usagi, we need to know. We can't let Enjou have her. She's ours! She's our Queen, our leader, our Princess, our friend. Enjou has no right to her."   
  
"You're right Artemis." Luna turned to Darien, her red eyes falling on him. He stared at her quietly. He'd long known that Luna didn't approve of his and Usagi's relationship. She thought that he was too old for her charge, and that he would only distract Usagi, and get her harmed needlessly. Now would be the perfect time for her to prove her judgements wrong -- they both knew it. But instead of a frown, a small hopeful smile spread over her feline features.   
  
"Let's hear it Mamoru."   
  
Mamoru stared at her incredulously, and then smiled slightly in reply. Nodding to her in quiet acceptance of her approval, he turned to the others, cleared his throat..   
  
and began to speak.   
  
  
"You're not going tomorrow."   
  
Mika curled her fingers around the mug that Mihari offered to her, the same way she was curled up on the couch, pillows tucked around her and a blanket wrapped around her thin frame. A first aid kit sat on the small coffee table, pushed out of the way, the bandages all gone. They'd had to use all of them to bandage the wounds, just barely healed, that Mamoru's attack had reopened.   
  
"I can't stay home, 'Ari. I have classes.."   
  
"I don't care." Mihari sat down on the edge of the couch, reaching up to brush a lock of ebony hair from Mika's sky blue eyes, smiling gently, lovingly. "I'm not going to run the risk of that bastard attacking you again. Especially not until you're stronger. I nearly lost you once, I'm not going to loose you again."   
  
Mika smiled softly, trying to put some type of humor into her voice. "You talk as if I'll just up and disappear one day."   
  
Mihari's smile was full of false humor. Both could feel the seriousness that colored her tones as she spoke softly, her fingers curling around Mika's hand, gently holding her as if she was indeed afraid Mika would simply disappear.   
  
"We all know this world isn't fit for moon angels.." Mika smiled softly in recognization of the reference to their childhood. When Mika was young, she'd suffered by nightmares that came every night to terrify her without fail. Mihari, woken by her little sister's anguished cires, would come into her room and hug her, tell her she loved her, and then tell her stories until she fell asleep.   
  
She told stories of a great and glorious kingdom that had once existed on the Moon, ruled by a gentle and splended Queen and her daughter. She told of how the daughter was protected by her own older sister -- a tall and fierce warrior from the Sun. She told of how Queen Beryl, an evil witch, had tried to kill the Princess by using a man to get under her guard and put her under a spell. At these parts, Mika would always squeal in horror, then fall laughing under the attacks of Mihari's fingers as she demanded Mika's silence so she could complete her tale.   
  
Then they'd quiet and Mihari would continue, telling of the great battle in which the Moon Princess was attacked by the Witch and the Demon-man from the Negative World. Mika's eyes would grow wide as Mihari described the fall of the Guardians of the Moon Princess, who were to weak to defend their Princess. The only one, she'd said in a soft tone, who could save the Moon Princess, was her older sister, who, in a great and glorious battle, slew both the Witch and the Demon-man, restoring the peace to the kingdom.   
  
And as she told of the great celebrations that followed the triumph of the Moon Kingdom, Mika's eyes would droop. Mihari would finish the tale in a whispered voice as she tucked Mika into her bed, her last words slipping into the silence as she slowly closed the door.   
  
"All right 'Ari.." Mika said after a moment, smiling slightly. "I'll stay home. But you have to go get my school work for me and make sure I don't get in trouble. Deal?"   
  
Mihari grinned widely, delightedly this time, reaching for Mika's empty mug with a slight grin. "Deal, sis. Now, how many marshmallows do you want in your hot cocoa?" She knew of Mika's obsession with marshmallows and wasn't surprised at the answer she received.   
  
"How many bags do we have?"   
  
  
"This isn't good."   
  
Minako turned from the window to look at Makoto, Ami, and then at Mika's empty seat. The girl hadn't come to school today. Mamoru must have scared her more than he had thought he had, she thought with a small frown. "No.. it isn't."   
  
"How will we know if it's really Usagi if we never see her again? God damn you Enjou. When I get my hands on you.." Makoto's sentance faded into a soft snarl as she ground her fist into her palm, her green eyes hard as diamonds. Ami glanced at her, and then at Minako.   
  
"We will see her again. Enjou won't let her supposed victory over us go without us knowing it. She's the type that would gloat continually. That is her weakness.. That will be her undoing. We've just got to be patient. She's like a rabbit who's seen a fox. If we wait long enough, the rabbit will show herself again." Ami smiled at the slightly surprised expressions that greeted her analogy. It had been intended to shake them out of their anger and fury and it had done its job.   
  
"Well. If she doesn't show herself we'll just have to wait till-" Her lips started to form the word "tomorrow", but froze as she turned to stare out the door. "That bitch!" she hissed. "This is unreal!"   
  
"What?" Makoto rose from her pose leaning against the wall to follow Minako's eyes. There she was! Enjou, standing there, talking to the teacher, Hoshiotome-san. Then Hoshiotome-san handed Enjou a stack of papers, placing one of those yellow homework slips on top of it. They knew immediately what had happened. Enjou had kept Usagi at whatever their hideout was, coming to get her homework for her.   
  
"Bitch-" Makoto started for the door, but Ami and Minako hurried grasped her hand and arm, pulling her back.   
  
"Not here!" Minako hissed out the side of her mouth, their eyes all still glued on Enjou.   
  
Then, as if sensing their gazes, Enjou straightened slightly, turning her head with almost agonizing slowness. Her eyes fell on them, and for a moment she didn't seem as if she recognized them. Then her lips parted in a small smile, and she seemed to be laughing at them, mouthing two words at them through the distance. They weren't lip readers, but they knew what she'd said.   
  
"She's mine."   
  
  
Their feet pounded on the pavement, their breaths coming in short gasps as they ran, racing along like the wind. Luna and Artemis at their heels, dodging through the crowds, they chased the elusive figure ahead of them that sometimes disappeared, sometimes appeared as clear as a black shadows against the sun.   
  
They'd called Rei, Mamoru, and the cats after seeing Enjou at their school, and now all of them were close on Enjou's heels. The thing was, she seemed to be taunting them, teasing them, waiting for them to catch up with her only to flit away down the streets.   
  
She was leading them to a trap.   
  
They were sure of it, but it didn't diminish the resolve that strengthened their already aching feet, kept their bodies moving at full speed after Enjou's figure.   
  
And then, they slid to a stop as one, their foe staring at them from across an abandoned building's parking lot. One or two cars were shoved to one side, but for the main part it was deserted and bare. Chests heaving, fists clenched, they stared as one at her, then, in unison, thrust their hands into the skies.   
  
"VENUS STAR POWER!"   
  
"MARS STAR POWER!"  
  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"  
  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"   
  
Tuxedokamen beind them, the Sailor Senshi faced Enjou as one, their eyes as hard as diamonds glittering in the fading sunlight. Enjou's shifting, irredescent eyes focused on them, and then she laughed softly, her face contorted in rage.   
  
"It's about time you got here. Now I can dispose of you all without any threat to my tenshi no tsuki and we will finally have the peace we deserve, without your constant threats and petty disagreements! Without you ever hurting her again!" Her voice hit a painfully high pitch, reminding Sailormercury of the tales of bean sidhes from Irish mythology.   
  
"I agree! It's about time we end this, though you will be the one to die Enjou!" Sailorvenus stepped forward, taking the lead, assuming the responsiblity. It should have been Sailormoon, they thought as one. She should have been here, making a stupid, goofy speech, acting immature, breaking the tension with her airheadedness. She should have been there.   
  
It was Enjou's fault she wasn't. She must die.   
  
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"   
  
"JUPITER THUNDER DRAGON!"   
  
Enjou disappeared, reappearing to one side of them, her hands flinging up with a sudden vicious cry ripping from her throat. Sailorvenus and Sailorjupiter were lifted up and flung back against the wall of the building on the other side of the lot, their cries of pain echoing hollowly.   
  
"Jupiter! Venus! Girls be careful!!" Luna cried, turning slightly as she and Artemis dashed towards the fallen Senshi. Sailormercury and Sailormars nodded their understanding, and turned to the attack, screaming out their phrases as a flurry of roses whistled past them, all aiming for Enjou.   
  
Yet she simply laughed, seeming to get more amusement than worry for the maelstrom of powers surging towards her. Holding up her hands agian, the attacks seemed to freeze in midair, then suddenly, they turned and began to fly back at the Senshi and Tuxedokamen.   
  
As Sailormercury flung herself to the side, she could almost hear Enjou's voice, soft as a whisper, repeating a phrase that made Sailormercury's heart freeze within her.   
  
"Solar Reflection!"   
  
"KAMI!" She stumbled to her feet to see all the others also crawling to their feet, Sailormars and Tuxedokamen having dodged their attacks and Sailorvenus and Sailorjupiter recovering from Enjou's attack. "She's a Senshi! Do you hear me? She's a Sailor Senshi!!"   
  
"What?!" Sailorvenus turned to stare at Enjou, her eyes narrowed. Then, suddenly they widened. The woman was simply standing there, one hand on her hip, apparently waiting for them to figure it out. "You are!" Sailorvenus gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "You're the Solar Senshi! You're Princess Taiyouna of the Sun Kingdom!"   
  
"Taiyouna?" Tuxedokamen repeated softly, staring at Enjou as well. The woman's face was twisted with contempt and impatience, as if it were taking all of her willpower not to simply strike them down where they stood. Her voice was a defiant shout. "Yes! I am Taiyouna! I am the Princess of the Sun!"   
  
And then she flung her hand into the air.   
  
"SOLAR CRYSTAL POWER!" There was a light, too bright to see, as rays from the setting sun behind her reached out and wrapped around her, spinning her in their grasp. They threw their hands up to protect themselves from the light that seemed to grip and tear at them, searing their flesh and whipping their hair out in back of them.   
  
And then she stepped out of the light, the light dying away without her there to fuel it. Her outfit resembled nothing they'd ever seen, though they did not know that it was an Eternal outfit. They would not see anything like hers until Eternal Sailormoon was born. A long gold cape flowed out in back of her as she stepped forward, raising a hand.   
  
"I am Sailorsol, ruler of the Sun Kingdom and protector of the Silver Millenium. I am the herald of the end of the world as you know it. And now that you've discovered my identity.. I'm going to kill you. All of you."   
  
"NOO!"   
  
The cry was like a wounded animal's, like the scream of a rabbit in the jaws of a fox, and they turned as one to see Mikasuki standing near the road. She screamed again, gripping at her head, where competing signs were flashing on her forehead. A circle with a cross drawn through it would be replaced by a crescent moon, then be the replacer.   
  
"Miko!" Sailorsol started towards her, her cry sounding out starkly against the cries of "Usagi!" and "Sailormoon!" that came from the other Senshi. The enemies stopped and stared at each other, fists clenching, hate glittering in rock-hard eyes.   
  
"No please! No, I'm happy! Please no.." The girl fell to her knees, clenching her head. "No I'm free! I'm at please! Oh kami, please leave me alone! Please.. LEAVE ME ALONE!"   
  
She threw her head back and screamed, and inhumane sound that ripped at their throats, a blinding flash of light streaking like lightining from the sky, surrounding her in a globe of white, hiding her from their eyes.   
  
Then the light sucked in, disappearing into the form of the Moon Princess who stood there, her dress rippling out in back of her, tears forming in her eyes and falling like rain off of her cheeks to hang suspended in midair, floating like little stars around her in a protective dome.   
  
"Usako!" came the choked cry as Tuxedokamem pushed himself to his feet to go to her. But the Princess recoiled as if struck, pushing him away with her hands. He slid back, unhurt physically, emotionally devastatedly. She stared at the Senshi for a moment, as if bewildered, shaking her head slightly, her hands held up in front of her, long blonde hair floating out in back of her.  
  
"No! Stay there!" Princess Serenity stared at them, as if they were the Negaverse themselves. Then she shook her head again, violently, her eyes hardening against them. "Just leave me alone! Please!"   
  
"Usagi! You've got your memory back! You're alive! Join us, please, help us! We can't destroy Sailorsol without your help!" Sailorvenus's plea was softly but urgently spoken as she stepped forward, her hands spread wide in a indication of their need for her.   
  
"Kill Sailorsol..?" Princess Serenity repeated softly, her tone that of a lost child, confused and alone.   
  
"Don't be fooled by them again, my sister! I'm the only one who truly loves you! I'm the only one who can give you the peace and safety you deserve. They betrayed you! When you needed them most they gave up on you! But I never will!! I never have!! Do you remember when.. when you used to have nightmares.. I'd come tell you stories of the Queens of the Moon before you, and stories of the Kingdom I was fated to rule, the Kingdom of the Sun..? Do you remember? I wouldn't let you suffer then, and I wouldn't let you suffer now!" Sailorsol held her arms out to Princess Serenity, tears glistening on her cheeks. "I'm Taiyouna. I'm your big sister.. remember? I've always kept you safe.. I always will keep you safe... I love you, I'll protect you because they can't... I won't hurt. I'd rather die before I hurt you.."   
  
"You'd protect me.." Princess Serenity said softly, looking at Sailorsol. Then she smiled softly, taking one step towards Sailorsol. "You wouldn't ever hurt me..."   
  
"NO USAKO! DON'T!!" Tuxedokamen leaped foward, flicking out with one hand. Sailorsol wasn't prepared. She was concentrated on her younger sister, her arms held out, waiting with trembling limbs for her sister to come to her protecting embrace.   
  
"NOOOO!" Sailorsol's head snapped around to see the rose whistling towards her as Princess Serenity cried out in horror and warning. Sailorsol cried out softly as the rose buried itself in her right upper chest, a crimson stain blossoming out, contrasting sharply against her white uniform. "TAIYOUNA!!" Princess Serenity screamed agian, dashing to her sister as Sailorsol sank to her knees. She fell to her knees next to her sister, weeping and murmuring senseless words about a doctor and a hospital.   
  
"U.. Usa..ko..." Tuxedokamen reached out, unable to believe that Usagi had gone to Sailorsol, who had called herself Enjou, who had killed Usagi and then kidnapped her! Princess Serenity reacted violently, her eyes coloring so dark with her rage they were nearly black.   
  
"STAY AWAY FROM US!! You bastard! I hate you! I HATE YOU!! Tai was right! You don't love me. You never did! You just wanted the power that I held as Princess!!! I thought you loved me, but if you truly had you wouldn't have hurt Tai!"   
  
"But Serenity, she was trying to kill us!" Sailormars burst out in anger. "You stupid odango atama how can you be so blind? Open your eyes! She's evil! She's the enemy! She tried to kill us and she nearly killed you or have you forgotten that?!?!"  
  
"Shut up Rei!" Serenity snarled in reply. "You always hated me, always said that you'd be better off without me. Now here's your chance! I'm leaving. I don't want you to come after us. Leave us alone! Do you hear me? LEAVE US ALONE!!!"   
  
And then she turned, folding her arms around Sailorsol, who was gripping the embedded rose, her soft whimpers of pain audible in the stunned silence that followed Serenity's pronouncement. Princess Serenity closed her eyes, a soft light building up around them. A storm of cherry blossom petals rose up around them, causing the Senshi to throw up their hands to ward off the petals that were flung with such force they stung.   
  
When the petals died down, the Princesses were gone.   
  
  
~*~   
And that's it! That's where this Chapter ends! Don't worry, there's one more Chapter, called Heart and Mind. D'you get it? The title of the fic is Heart,...and Mind, and the first one was called Mind, this one was called Heart.. the finishing one is both of em! Pretty lame, huh?   
  
Anyways, CandC go here: amby-chan@sailormoon.com or if you're at Fanfiction.net or MediaMiner.org you can just fill out the little review box. And please Please PLEASE give me feedback.. I NEED feedback.. If you like it, if it was ok, if you thought it sucked.. Give me SOMETHING please! *G*   
  
So. That's it! I'm out until the next chapter!!  
  
Without thorns, Amby-chan. 


	3. Heart and Mind

Heart,... and Mind  
by Amby-chan aka Lady Ambre  
amby-chan@sailormoon.com  
  
~*~  
All right boys and girls of all ages.. Buckle up and brace for impact. Here's the final chapter in the story! Remember to enjoy, make sure you go to the bathroom BEFORE hand (it's really annoying to get to a good part and then have to go so bad! ^.-), and always feed your author with some sort of feedback!  
  
Thank you and Enjoy!  
~*~  
  
Part Three: Heart and Mind  
  
  
"Quick! Get her into surgery! We've got to make sure she's not bleeding internally. Get my scrubs ready! Miss, you can't come in with us. You're going to have to stay out here in the waiting room..."   
  
"But please, she's my sister.. She's all I have in the world!!"   
  
"I'm sorry.. I assure you she's in the best possible hands. Now, Nurse Nyanko will help you with the paperwork. We'll let you know as soon as we get out of surgery.."   
  
And then he was gone, leaving Usagi standing in the hallway with bewildered tears on her cheeks, her hands paused, uncertain in midair. She wanted with all of her heart to follow her sister down the hallway, to be there no matter what, but she knew that she couldn't. She had to wait here, wait to find out whether her sister would live or die.   
  
The reason they were even here made Usagi's fists clench in anger every time she thought of it. She couldn't believe he'd tried to kill her sister. That bastard Mamoru!! First he betrayed her with that Keisei woman, and then he tried to kill the only one who'd truly loved her. She gritted her teeth and forced the thoughts from her mind, slowly turning around.   
  
She filled out the paper work.   
  
And then she sat there.   
  
She rose, paced, got scolded gently by a nurse and returned to the waiting room.   
  
And sat there.   
  
And sat there...  
  
She was lost in her own little world when the doctor came back, caught up in the memories of her childhood on the Moon. She'd never really wondered why she couldn't remember anything about growing up, but now she knew why.   
  
Taiyouna was in all of them. Whenever she remembered falling, she remembered Taiyouna being there to help her up. Whenever she remembered being scared or frightened, she remembered Taiyouna being there to hug her and tell her stories that kept her mind off her fears. She'd been prescient; she knew that now. She recognized the fact that the nightmares she'd had as a young girl and then as a teenager were really omens, premonitions of what was going to happen to her Moon Kingdom.   
  
She also remembered that the only thing Taiyouna had never supported her in was her love for Prince Endymion. "He'll only hurt you, Serenity.. Stay away from him.." She and Luna had always been so set against Endymion, and Serenity had been set and ready to prove them wrong. Yet, she'd only proven them right...   
  
And then... the attack... "She's taken them both!!" Queen Serenity hadn't meant Endymion, for she'd never really approved of him anyway, but she'd truly meant Taiyouna, who had died at the hands of Beryl just a few minutes earlier, protecting Serenity. Her death had been in vain, Usagi thought softly.   
  
"Miss Soluno?" Usagi snapped out of and to her feet in and instant, her face showing just how worried she was. "How is she?" she demanded, her tone desperate. The doctor looked so serious.. Gods...   
  
"She'll be just fine." Usagi fell into the chair with a sigh of relief, looking up at him with tears of relief in her eyes. "She's recovering from the surgery right now. If you want, you can follow Nurse Nyanko and she'll let you see her.."   
  
"Yes! Oh kami, please.. yes..." The doctor smiled, patted her shoulder.   
  
"Good thing you got her here in time. I hope you find the man who did that to her." Usagi smiled and nodded mutely. She'd told the emergency room as much of the truth as she'd dared to. She'd told them how her ex-boyfriend had gotten jealous and stabbed Mihari -- who had only been trying to protect her. They'd accepted it without question. No doubt they got a lot of that sort of thing.   
  
She followed the nurse to Mihari's room. After the battle, Princess Serenity had transported them to the lobby. She'd used her newfound powers to trigger Sailorsol's detransformation, detransformed herself, and hurried Mihari in for some help.   
  
Mihari lay in the bed, her eyes closed, her skin almost as white as the thick bandages that covered her upper right shoulder. Usagi's heart leaped to her throat at the sight of it.   
  
"Oh kami 'Ari.. Are you all right??" Usagi flew to Mihari's side, flinging her arms around her older sister's neck, crying in relief, her tears falling like rain to darken the hospital gown Mihari wore. Mihari looked down at her golden-haired sister, and almost couldn't believe she'd come with her.   
  
"I'm fine.. I'll be perfect as long as you stay with me.." Mihari said softly, lifting up her good hand to brush Usagi's hair out of her eyes with a smile. "Don't cry. I'm all right, I'm going to be back to normal before you know it."   
  
"I'll stay with you forever. I should never have left you in the first place. You were right, I'm so sorry. You were right about Mamoru and I should have listened to you.. Oh kami, 'Ari, I saw him.. and her.. she's a slut, a prostitute! And she had him pressed up against the wall and she was kissing him and he was happy about it and.. and.." Usagi turned her face down into her sister's arms and sobbed.   
  
Pain echoing Usagi's own shon ien Mihari's eyes. "Usagi.. Usa I've got to tell you something. And I want you to listen to me before you judge it all right? You have to know I had only your best intentions at heart when I did this..."   
  
"Wh.. what? 'Ari, what are you talking about?" Usagi sat up slightly, reaching for Mihari's hand and folding her own around it, still sniffing slightly, but her eyes colored with concern for her older sibling.   
  
Mihari looked away for a moment, her eyes dark, her voice laboring to speak, to force out the words."I.. I was Keisei."   
  
"What?!" Usagi recoiled as if stung. Only Mihari's hand clenching hers kept her from dashing from the room. "But.. Mi.. Mihari.. Ari.. how could you? How could you?? Gods!"   
  
"USA! STOP!" Usagi's mouth shut with an audible click as she stared incredulously at Mihari, who struggled to sit up straighter. Silently, she helped her older sister, looking hurt and betrayed. "I told you to listen to me," Mihari scolded gently, clasping Usagi's hands between her own.   
  
"I took on the alias Keisei in order to test Mamoru. If he really loved you as much as he said he did, I'd fail in trying to get him to make out with me, right? Usagi, I only did it to see if I should stay away. I'd found you, but you seemed so happy, I was so afraid of destroying that for you.." Tears formed in Mihari's eyes, brimming on her lashes. "I figured that if Mamoru turned me away that I'd leave and let you two be happy together, without me. I didn't want it to be like in the Silver Millenium, when you were torn between both of us.."   
  
She cleared her throat. "I had hit on him several times before that. It was easy. I'm an theatre actress, and Keisei was an easy character to play. She only had one objective: sex.. with Mamoru..." Usagi's chin quivered, but she remained silent, her eyes glued on Mihari's face as the difficult tale unwound from her lips. "That time at the arcade was one of the first times. Finally, I got fed up. It was time for the true test.. So I followed him to his apartment, and confronted him. I.. I.. grabbed his collar and yanked him up against me. I mean, I thought he'd resist. I truly didn't expect him to let me kiss him, Usa, or else I wouldn't have. I hate him. Do you hear me? I've always hated him.. I never meant for you to be there. I never meant for you to see us. If he did.. go all the way with me, I would have used it against him, threatened to tell you unless he broke up with you and moved away. I didn't want it to end like that.. I truly didn't Usa..."   
  
"Oh Ari.." Usagi whispered, looking away, down at the floor. Mihari bit her lower lip, watching her sister worriedly. She'd just die if Usagi decided to reject her after they'd found each other again and Mihari had her back.   
  
Then Usagi raised her eyes to look at Mihari, smiling tremulously. "You're always trying to protect me, 'Ari.." She flung her arms around Mihari, hugging her tightly but carefully.   
  
"Oh, Usa..." Tears of relief burned Mihari's eyes now, and she clasped her little sister to her as if she were afraid she'd disappear, as she'd once told her little sister when she'd been Mikasuki and none of this had been discovered yet.   
  
"Please don't ever leave me, 'Ari. I think I'd die."   
  
"I won't ever, Ever leave you, Usa.. ever."   
  
  
"Usagi...?"  
  
Cold blue eyes. Clenched fists. Tense shoulders. All greeted their eyes as the girl turned to look at them, grocery list in hand. Now they could see what she'd been hiding as Mikasuki. Scars crisscrossed her arms and legs, scars from the burns she'd survived. Now that she'd regained her powers, they were rapidly disappearing. They could only imagine how bad they'd been before her rememberance.   
  
"May I help you?"   
  
Ami winced at the tone, glancing back at Makoto and Minako with Luna in her arms and Artemis on her shoulder. They'd decided that they'd come. Rei had tearfully maintained that Usagi hated her enough that she didn't need to see her again to reaffirm it, so it'd be better if she didn't come.   
  
"We're sorry.. We don't want to loose you Usagi. You're our leader and our Princess and it's our job to protect you. We can't do that if you won't let us..." Minako's hand clenched at her side at the hardness that entered Usagi's eyes.   
  
"Is that all I am to you now? Your job? Well, I don't need your protection. You couldn't protect me in the Silver Millenium and you can't protect me now. Forget me.. Your job is to protect the Earth now. You'd better train more; you won't have me to clean up the monsters for you."   
  
Then she gathered up some of the apples she'd been looking at, turning back to look at them, taking in their stunned, hurt faces, then shaking her head.   
  
"If you don't mind.. I've got shopping to finish. Mihari wants to make stirfry tonight."   
  
Then she brushed by them and left.  
  
  
"She won't talk to us. She ignores us when she sees us on the street and last night she slapped Makoto when she tried to talk to her. And whenever it seems like we've said something meaningful, Mihari turns up and Usagi pushes us away." Minako slammed her fist down onto the floor in anger and frustration. "How the hell can we get her back if we can't even talk to her?"   
  
"It's my fault." They turned to look at Mamoru, who sat with his head in his hands on Rei's low bed. He looked as if he hadn't slept in ages. His hair was messy and his normally perfectly ironed clothes were wrinkled and unkept.   
  
"No it's not.. It's not anyones fault. It's just.. a.. misunderstanding.. It's the result of a lack of communication between all of us. It's the result of hurts that build up under the surface. It's not your fault," Ami said softly, shaking her head. They hated to see him suffer so.   
  
"No, it's MY FAULT. First the thing with Keisei.. I don't even know what.. what the hell happened there.. Then I drove her away even more. She got killed because I couldn't protect her. SHE was protecting ME. That's not the way it's supposed to be. And then.. we.. we could have gotten her back. But.. because of me she's even further away than she ever was!" He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with his grief.   
  
Makoto moved quick as lightning. Grabbing his collar, she lifted him bodily from the bed, slamming him up against the wall. He cried out in surprise -- he was easily twice her size yet she'd just picked him as if he was nothing. Her eyes flashed in anger and rage.   
  
"Mamoru Chiba! You disgust me!!" He winced at her words.   
  
"Makoto-" Ami began, but Makoto cut her off. "No, Ami, this has to be done!!"   
  
Makoto shook him, her eyes scathing. "What are you? A baby? Do we need to get out the diapers and bottle for you? I am sick and tired of your childish helplessness!! Look at you! You've given up on her! You haven't even tried to get her back. When YOU were at Beryl's beck and call Usagi did not waste a single moment. She was constantly searching for a way to help you. She NEVER gave up on you even when your mind was beyond her reach. And now you're just giving up? Well if that's true then you don't deserve her!!! If you're just going to give up now, well then, I say, she's better off with Mihari! We don't deserve her! Not any of us!"  
  
Now she turned to include the rest of the Senshi in her harsh words, her voice like thunder, shaking them out of the depression and hopelessness they'd fallen into. "We're nothing but a bunch of snobbish princesses, sitting here, saying that we can't do it because we lost!! Well guess what, EVERYONE LOSES. Am I the only one who remembers Usagi? How she would never give up?? She kept us going when we would have given up. She never gave up on us. She kept fighting. Now it's our turn!!  
  
"It's our turn to fight for her. She's fought and died for us. She's DIED for us to SAVE us and the rest of the world! Now when she's in trouble we give up and leave her to drown!! GET UP SAILOR SENSHI. Get off your asses and fight back! It's time that we remember what she taught us. We are not going to give up! We are going to get her back!!!"   
  
"You're right Makoto," Rei said suddenly, standing swiftly. "I'm sorry that it took you to get us back on track. You're right and we were wrong. It's time that we got serious. We need our Princess back, so let's get her back!"   
  
"Right! We can't give up on her, not when she's given up so much for us!" Ami stood as well, her fist clenched resolutely in front of her as she looked at the other two.   
  
"I've shamed myself. I should have been the one making that speech. I'm supposed to be your leader yet I forgot the most important thing.. keeping you guys going. Keeping hope up. Well I'm going to change that. We're gonna get Usagi back!!" Minako's hair whipped out in back of her as she leaped to her feet.   
  
"That's the spirit girls! There is nothing that Sailor Senshi can't do!" Luna's eyes sparkled with determination and hope. It did her heart good to see them unified, their eyes sparkling with their newfound resolve.   
  
"Let's get Usagi back!!" Artemis cried.   
  
"Well.. what do you say, Mamoru? Are you done sulking? Your love is out there, hurting and alone! It's time we get her back. Are you with us or were we wrong in assuming you loved her?" Rei's voice was soft but demanding.   
  
Mamoru's head was lowered, his black hair blocking his eyes. Suddenly his fists clenched together, and his head raised. His eyes were hard - this time with the spirit of determination and hope that Makoto's harsh words had been necessary to put back in place.   
  
"I'm with you. I'm going to get my Usako back."   
  
  
Where was it? He was nearly frantic. He'd torn apart her entire room, unended every thing that had been so carefully put away by her mother, who, like the rest of her family, believed Usagi'd gone to visit her grandparents in England. It was the story they'd come up with after Sailormoon's "death", unable to come up with anything better. And after Usagi's return, she'd tacitly taken over the job of keeping up the charade.   
  
"Did you find it??" Luna asked, slipping into the room. Mamoru turned to look at her, having dumped another of the drawers in Usagi's bureau. Or what had been Usagi's bureau.   
  
"No! Where would she have put it?" Mamoru sighed heavily, biting his lower lip. He had to find it; it was the key to everything. It was the key to getting her back..   
  
Suddenly he gasped. Of course!! He turned to her bed, the place she adored the most, and began to pull the sheets and bedspreads off of it, scattering stuffed animals and pillows, searching, questing. The top mattress was soon to go, flung to the other side of the room. Luna meowed her annoyance as she leaped out of the way, a meow that cut off when he saw what Mamoru was pulling from the box that had been wedged underneath the two mattresses.   
  
"I've found it..."   
  
  
"How many marshmallows do you want in your hot chocolate, 'Ari?" Usagi called, leaning back to catch a glimpse of Mihari, who was stretched out on the couch. It'd been two weeks after the attack, and Mihari was fully healed. Of course, she was still quite tired. Though she could regenerate much, much faster than normal humans, it drained her thoroughly. Now she needed to get her strength back.   
  
There was a soft laugh and the reply made Usagi join in on the laughter. "How many bags do we have?"   
  
"Enough that you can have as many as you want," Usagi replied just as Mihari had replied to a tired and sore Mikasuki. Usagi had matured so much in the last two weeks, Mihari thought. She was still the same ditzy girl, but there was a certain hardness about her that came from the pain of losing her family and friends. When Mihari had suggested that Usagi should return to her family, Usagi had quickly told her no.   
  
"You need me here right now to take care of you. When you're strong enough to take care of yourself, then I'll go back. Right now you're the most important thing to me. My family will be all right until then." She'd gone back one night though, to put a spell on the house.   
  
The Tsukinos now believe that Usagi was away visiting grandparents in northern England, learning English ways and the language as well. Usagi was careful to write several letters and have them sent from England in order to keep up the charade that the other Senshi had begun.   
  
"Well..." Mihari had risen and come to the kitchen, leaning against the wall in the entrance to the kitchen, watching her little sister move back and forth on her busy way with affection. It felt so good to have her little sister back with her after being alone for so long.   
  
"I'll settle for twelve right now.." Usagi grinned and nodded, carefully counting out twelve mini-marshmallows and dropping them Mihari's cup, repeating the process for her own cup.   
  
"How would you like to go shopping tomorrow? And you know, just hang out? You're going to have to go back to your family soon, now that I'm fully recovered, but before you go, I want to send you on your way with one hell of a happy memory and lots of new outfits... What do you say?"   
  
Usagi turned to look at Mihari, grinning widely. "That would be wonderful. I could use some new clothes. And don't think that even though I live at my house I'll forget you. You're still my sister." She smiled and picked up the cups. "Now, let's go watch that movie I rented. The popcorn's getting cold."   
  
"Wouldn't want to have to eat cold popcorn, now, would we?" Mihari returned playfully and Usagi laughed softly as she followed her into the spacious living room.   
  
"Of course not! Now hurry up!"   
  
  
That night, after sending Mihari to bed, Usagi curled up on the bed in the room that Mikasuki had once considered her own, which did feel like home, to a degree. Yet she wasn't sure if any place would ever feel like home again. She was so empty and lifeless inside, even though being with Mihari always washed away that feeling.   
  
It was only when she was alone that it hit her: she'd lost them all. She still didn't know really why she'd decided to push them away, except that she was tired of constantly being berated, tired of feeling like she wasn't good enough, tired of being the weak one, the unreliable one. With Mihari, she didn't feel inadequate or lacking. She simply felt whole.   
  
But now she was alone and the memories came back to her. Memories of girl talks at midnight, hot fudge sundaes at the Crown Royal Shoppe, of being surrounded by friends. Memories of fighting and what it felt like to win and know Earth was safe again. Memories of being held, kissed.. loved.   
  
She turned and buried her face in the pillow and let the tears come, muffling her heart-wrenching sobs so as not to disturb Mihari. She just couldn't fight her loneliness any longer. After she'd cried herself out, her breathing steadied and she slipped into the Dream lands of Elysion.   
  
"Oh Usa..." Mihari leaned her head against the door jamb, watching the steady rise and fall of the young girl's chest. "I'm so sorry.." She whispered, her own tears slipping silently down her cheeks to stain the carpet.   
  
"So sorry..."   
  
  
They'd totally blown Mihari's credit card. When Usagi had found out, she'd apologized profusely and offered to take some of the clothes back. Mihari had laughed at her sister and told her that her paycheck came in two days. It was rather large, and more than enough to pay for the bills for the condo and any other expenses she might have.   
  
So, bags hanging from every arm and boxes piled high, they headed back towards the car, laughing and talking easily and happily, reminiscing about the trouble they'd gotten into as children. Curious Serenity and Micheivious Taiyouna.. They'd always caused such a ruckus.   
  
Dumping the packages in the back of the convertible, they paused for a moment to watch a man painting a picture of the downtown area. Usagi commented on how good he was, and Mihari agreed.   
  
Like a shadow flitting through the crowds, a masked and caped figure slowly approached them.   
  
"Well, ready to go?" Mihari asked, turning to glance at Usagi. Usagi wasn't there. Panic filled Mihari as she turned in a full circle, crying out her sister's name. "Usagi??"   
  
"Ari help me!!!" Mihari snapped towards her sister's voice, her eyes rising to see Usagi struggling to get away from the arm that was clamped about her waist, holding her off of the ground. It was--  
  
"Tuxedokamen!" She snarled, reaching for her brooch, her fingers curling around it. "Leave Usagi alone you bastard! She doesn't want to go with you so let her go!"   
  
"No.. Not unless you can catch me!" And then with a flurry of his cape, he turned and leaped to the top of the building, Usagi still captured in his arms.   
  
"MIHARI HELP ME!!"   
  
"Usagi!!" She didn't care who saw her. She flung her hand up in the air and screamed out her henshin phrase, the light still dying away as she leaped into the air in pursuit of the dark shadow moving across the tops of the buildings. Cries accompanied her disappearance, streaking across the pavement in pursuit of Tuxedokamen, her sister's cries for help following her.   
  
"I'll save you Usagi just HOLD ON!!"   
  
  
"Is she coming?" Sailorvenus asked Tuxedokamen as he landed, Usagi held in his arms. He'd put a sleep spell on her so she wouldn't transform. They needed to get her and Sailorsol out of the city where they could settle all their problems without endangering innocent lives.   
  
"Yes, everyone get ready."  
  
"All right, guys! POSITIONS, NOW!" The other Sailor Senshi nodded and took up their positions in the small clearing, their eyes fixed on the direction from which Sailorsol would be coming.   
  
And come she did. Her hair whipping out in back of her, gleaming like burnished gold in the sunlight, she walked slowly towards them, her eyes like diamonds.   
  
"Give my sister back to me. She's already made it clear that she doesn't want to go with you! Now let her be happy and leave her alone!!"   
  
"We can't do that, Sailorsol," Sailormercury said, stepping forward. She and Sailorvenus stood directly in front of Sailorsol, Usagi carefully laid on the ground in front of them. "She's our friend and our Princess and we need her. If you were truly her sister you'd let her come back with us."   
  
"No! I won't let you brainwash her again! She made her choice! Just DEAL WITH IT!" And then she flung her hand up, shrieking out her attack to the sky. "SOLAR FLARE!" A flash of blinding light came from her hand, along with a great force that threw them back away from Usagi.   
  
She was there, kneeling at Usagi's side in an instant, smoothing back her hair and helping her sit up. Tuxedokamen's spell had worn off, and she was now awake.. and angry. Grasping her brooch, she muttered her transformation phrase. Sailormoon stood up next to Sailorsol, turning to face her former friends.   
  
"This ends here, Senshi." Her voice was soft and angry, her hand gripping Sailorsol's as if seeking to draw strength from the older Senshi's prescence.  
  
"Yes, it does Sailormoon, but not like this! Listen to us, we didn't come here to fight you. We came here to apologize, to get our friend back." Sailorvenus had struggled to her feet, helping Sailormercury up.   
  
"That's certainly not what it looks like!" Sailorsol burst out angrily, placing a hand on Sailormoon's shoulder to comfort the other girl who was trembling like a leaf in a gale force wind.   
  
"It was the only way to get you two out here so we can settle this. I'm sorry we couldn't have done it any other way, but really Sailormoon, don't ask me to believe you would have come willingly any other way!" Luna and Artemis were there too... Everyone was there... Sailormoon's heart ached at the sight of them.   
  
"Sailormoon."   
  
Sailormoon tensed as Sailormars stepped forward, her hands held out. "Before you leave again, let us at least try to make things right. There's no excusing what we did to you. We were too harsh, and too unsupportive. But that'll all change! We don't want to loose you. You're the glue that holds us all together. I know that sometimes I act like I don't care for you, but.." Sailormars looked down, tears falling from her dark eyes. "You're my best friend. You've been there for me and kept me going, despite the fact I tried to keep you away from me. I've never told you this, but Usagi I.. I love you as my sister. I know I could never replace Sailorsol and I don't want to! I just .. I hope we could just.. share you..."   
  
Sailormars looked away, tears falling like rain, her shoulders shaking. Sailormoon's eyes brimmed with tears and she glanced up at Sailorsol, who nodded mutely in approval.   
  
That done, Sailormoon left the shelter of Sailorsol's prescense, walking slowly towards Sailormars, pausing in front of the fire Senshi. "Rei.. I.. I want to be your sister too.."   
  
Sailormars threw her arms around Sailormoon and hugged her tightly, sobbing softly now. "It's so good to have you back!!" Sailormoon put her arms around Sailormars, her own tears starting to fall.  
  
The tension that had been building in the small area suddenly broke and the Senshi as one ran to hug Sailormoon and welcome her back. She was sobbing with joy now, her heart full now that she had her friends back, their tears mingling with each other's creating a river of joy that flowed from all of them.   
  
"I'm so sorry, I'll never leave you guys again.. I missed you guys too much." Sailormoon kissed both Luna and Artemis, hugging them and looking at each of her friends for a moment, tears shining with happiness. "I'm so sorry.."  
  
"Don't be, Usagi. It's over now. You're back. That's all that matters," Sailorjupiter said as she tousled Sailormoon's hair happily.   
  
Sailormoon laughed softly, a laugh that suddenly died in her throat. Pain re-entered her gaze as it fell on the dark shadow that stood like an ominious beacon on the outside of their circle of joy. The Senshi glanced at each other, and then drew away. All except Sailorsol, who approached quickly.   
  
"No! I won't let this happen.. I won't let you get hurt by him, not again." She wrapped a protective arm around Sailormoon as if she was sheilding her little sister from Tuxedokamen himself. Her voice shook with fury. "I knew Usagi would forgive her friends.. She needs you, all of you.. I'm not enough," she said to the other Senshi with a soft, wan smile.   
  
Her eyes hardened as she looked back at Tuxedokamen. "But a thousand years ago, you were the reason she died at Beryl's hands. If it wasn't for you, she would have been all right.. But you.. you killed her Endymion. I won't let you have another chance to kill her in this lifetime!"   
  
For the first time Tuxedokamen spoke, his fist clenching in front of him as he turned his attention to Sailorsol. "It wasn't my fault, Taiyouna! Kami! I knew you hated me, but does your jealousy extend so deeply that you can't see the depth of my love for her?"   
  
"You don't love her, you bastard," Sailorsol returned with a hiss of rage. "If you did you wouldn't have been so ready and willing to make out with Keisei!"   
  
"What do you know about Keisei? You weren't there! She forced herself on me!!"   
  
"BULLSHIT! I did no such thing!" Sailorsol snapped in reply, shaking her head as horror spread over Tuxedokamen's face. "I was testing you, Endymion, to see if you were still lying or if you'd actually learned to love her in the millenia you'd been seperated. But you failed. You were ready and willing to kiss Keisei. I know because I was Keisei!! Do you hear me?? IT WAS ME! Testing you! And you failed. YOU FAILED."   
  
Tuxedokamen stared at Sailorsol, and suddenly something snapped within him. "You.. You! It's not my fault! It's your fault! You ruined everything! You took her away from me! I'd still have my Usako if you'd just stayed dead!!"   
  
"Yes and then you would have killed her, whether it was by your natural treachery or simply because you're too weak to truly protect her." Sailorsol turned her back on Tuxedokamen, looking down at Sailormoon, tears in her eyes. "Let's leave. You can see you friends later.. We need to go."   
  
"You're not taking her anywhere!"   
  
Sailormoon screamed as her eyes took in the sight of Tuxedokamen knocking Sailorsol away from her, the two falling into the dirt. "NO! TUXEDOKAMEN STOP! STOP IT LEAVE HER ALONE!"   
  
"Tuxedo stop it, this isn't part of the plan!! STOP IT!" Sailorvenus's fists clenched, her words having no effect on the two rolling around on the ground, snarling and hissing at each other.   
  
"I won't let you take her!" Tuxedokamen cried, aiming a vicious punch at Sailorsol's head.   
  
She blocked it, throwing him off of her. "I won't let you hurt her again!" She took a deep breath and cried out "SOLAR FLARE RETRIBUTION!" A beam of fire and light leaped out at Tuxedokamen, burning the edges of his cloak as he dodged it, flinging roses at her.   
  
Sailormoon screamed again, her hands flying to her mouth. She had to stop them!! She had to stop them both before they killed each other. "Stop! Stop it both of you!! Kami please somebody stop them!!"   
  
Suddenly Tuxedokamen flung Sailorsol back against a nearby wall. She cried out in pain, instinctively clutching her still-tender shoulder. Sailormoon screamed out her name, screamed for Tuxedokamen to stop, but he couldn't hear her. Wouldn't hear her! His staff snapped out and he held it over his head, ready to stab Sailorsol.   
  
But she lashed out, kicking the staff from him. He scrambled for it, picking it up like a javelin, aiming straight for Sailorsol's heart. Sailormoon screamed. She knew what was going to happen! Tuxedokamen released the staff.   
  
Pain and regret entered Sailorsol's eyes as she glanced at Sailormoon, but she flung her hands up and screamed out the three words that would send the staff flying back into Tuxedokamen's chest.   
  
"NOOO!"   
  
The staff turned, the blade glistening wickedly.   
  
Sailormoon dashed between the two, her hands spread out.   
  
"STOP PLEA-ugh!"   
  
Her name was screamed out by eight different voices as the staff buried itself in her chest, the force of the impact carrying her back several feet before slamming her into the ground.   
  
Tuxedokamen fell to his knees by her side, jerking the staff out of her body adn breaking it over his knee, casting it to one side. With trembling hands he lifted her up into his arms, cradling her body to him. She looked up at him, her hand clamped over the wound as if determined to keep her blood from leaving her body.   
  
"I'm sorry.." She whispered softly, her voice barely audible. "I couldn't let you get hurt.. Even if you didn't love me, I don't want anyone to die because of me..."   
  
"Oh Usako, of course I love you! I've always loved you.. You're my only love... I love you.. I love you!" He clenched her to him, and suddenly something gold fell from his breast pocket.   
  
The star locket, the symbol of their love, fell onto Sailormoon's chest, clicking open. The soft, sweet melody that flowed out of the open lid soothed them all. Sailormoon's eyes widened as she reached for the locket with her free, trembling hand, pulling it up to her heart.   
  
"Our.. locket.."   
  
"Yes, Usagi. Our locket.. The symbol of our love. I'm so sorry for betraying you. I don't even know what happened in my apartment with Keisei, but I know it was wrong. I knew it as soon as it happened, but you were there before I could push her away.. I'm so sorry Usako.. Please.. please forgive me.. Don't leave me..."   
  
"I'd never.. leave you.." Sailormoon smiled softly, reaching up to carress his cheek. Her eyes left his face to raise to Sailorsol's face, smiling still. "Please.. please don't fight.. because of me... I don't want anyone to get hurt... because of me..."   
  
"Usa don't leave me, damn you! Please I can't lose you again!!" Sailorsol cried, her voice sounding broken and defeated. Sailormoon shook her head.   
  
"You'll never lose me, sis.. You hadn't lost me even when I couldn't remember you; you always had a place in my heart. Don't ever think I'd let you go..."   
  
She closed her head, her face contorted with pain, pale and trembling. Tuxedokamen turned to Sailorsol, his face twisted with his own pain at seeing her die in his arms.   
  
"Heal her, damn you! Heal her!! You did it once before, do it again!!"   
  
"I can't!" Sailorsol whispered, shaking her head, angry at herself for being so weak. "I don't have enough power.. it took all of my might to heal her before... I.. I'm too weak. I can't do it again, not so soon after being injured..."   
  
"Don't waste your energy.. on me..." Sailormoon whispered, so softly they had to strain to hear her. "It's better this way, anyway.. I couldn't live knowing that one of you had to leave or were miserable because of me anyway..."   
  
"Sailormoon don't die! Do you hear me? Hold on! You came back to us once before, do it again!" Sailorjupiter urged, her voice choked with her tears.   
  
Sailormoon didn't respond for a moment, but then her eyes opened and she looked at each of them with a peaceful, serene smile on her face. She spoke once more, and as her words slipped out, her eyes slowly closed. Her last word was more a sigh than a word as her breath left her body for the last time.   
  
"I love you.. all of you... Please, be happy, for me..."  
  
"Usako don't!! Don't die!! Usako!!! USAKO!!!!" Tuxedokamen shook her repeatedly, clutching her to his chest, his voice shaking, tears in his eyes. "Usako.." He pulled her cooling body to him, the shell that had once housed the most beautiful soul he'd ever known, burying his head in her soft hair, sobbing her name out repeatedly.   
  
The Senshi were silent, Sailormercury weeping softly, holding each other, standing quiet guard over the weeping Tuxedokamen and Sailormoon's body.   
  
"No.. No..." Sailorsol looked down at the still, lifeless form of her sister, and shook her head again, her breath coming more quickly. "I won't let it end like this! I won't let her die. Kami, Usagi.. I said I'd protect you and I am going to keep my work. You're not going to die, hear me? You're not going to die!!"   
  
"Sailorsol-" Sailorvenus began, disenheartedly starting to try and talk sense into Sailorsol, but the look on the Sun Senshi's face shut her up immediately. It was a look of power, of determination, and of.. calm acceptance..  
  
"No, Taiyouna-!" Sailormercury gasped out, realizing before the other Senshi just what Sailorsol was going to do.   
  
"Sssh, Sailormercury. I know what I'm doing." Sailorsol smiled softly, serenely, a smile they had just seen on the dying Sailormoon's face. Slowly, she curled her hands around the locket on her chest.   
  
"In the old days, in the Silver Millenium... Queen Serenity gave birth to me. As was the custom and her duty, I was sent to the Sun to become the guardian of the source of power and light for the entire galaxy -- the Solar Kingdom. My father was the King of this Sun Kingdom. Princess Serenity,.. my little sister.. She wasn't supposed to be born. There weren't supposed to be two Princesses so close to each other, especially when the Queen was so young and strong. The birth of a Princess for the Moon heralded doom, but Queen Serenity refused to acknowledge this fate for her daughter. She did everything she could to divert the sure fate of the Moon Kingdom. The Silver Imperial Crystal was the source of power of the Moon Kingdom, yet even this power was dwarfed by the power I protect."   
  
The golden locket that shone on her chest suddenly opened. Inside, held gently in place by a golden place setting was a glowing, throbbing ruby red--  
  
"Piece of the Sun. This is part of the actual core of the Sun, from which all other power flows in the Galaxy." Sailorsol looked around at them. "To use it is to spell my own death, but without Sailormoon, my life would be as meaningless as death anyway."   
  
She smiled softly, denying them their objections, comforting them in the fact that she was sure of her choice. "After I use this, everything will be as if I never came. You will have memories of this time and what happened here, but .. To the rest of the world it will be as if it never happened, as if this piece of Time never existed. You will return to the morning before I.. Keisei, appeared. And this time, I won't interfere with your lives." She looked down at the ruby piece of the Sun's core, shining brillantly with its power and pure energy.   
  
"Please take care of her." She looked down at Sailormoon's form, her eyes misting over with tears. "Protect her as I couldn't, as I was too weak to."   
  
"We'll take care of her, Princess. Don't worry." Sailorvenus said softly, with all the air of one making a sacred promise. They all knew that they'd never break it. Especially not to her, especially not to one who had saved Sailormoon and all of them in more than one way...   
  
"Thank you." Sailorsol took a deep breath and lifted her hands again, summoning her strength to her. A ripple of sunlight twisted around her, and with a sudden flash of light, beautiful golden robes appeared about her, a simple golden tiara gracing her head.   
  
"Princess Taiyouna," whispered Sailormars, reverently.   
  
The Princess raised her hands and the piece of the Sun broke free from the locket -- shattering the brooch. Taiyouna bit back the cry of pain this caused, brushing everything aside, concentrating on the Sun-piece. She began to chant softly, offering her life, her being, her soul as payment for this favor.   
  
Tears flowed again as the Princess continued to speak, for with every word, she seemed to thin, become more transparent, as if the piece of the Sun was absorbing all of her being, drawing her into itself. And then, she was like a ghost. They could only barely see her, her form a bare glimmer against the world around her. She paused, her eyes falling down to lock onto Tuxedokamen's.   
  
And in that one moment, they forgave each other, and a bond formed, as deep and as true as the bond that had always existed between the Sun and the Earth. The Earth needed to Sun for life to exist; the Sun needed the Earth as its raison d'etre, its purpose for being to nourish the small planet.   
  
"Thank you, Taiyouna," he whispered, holding Sailormoon's still form to his chest. "I'll protect her, and this time I won't let her fail. I'll protect her for you..."   
  
"Thank you, Endymion.." Taiyouna's voice was soft as a tendril of wind, and they couldn't be sure if they'd heard it or felt it as Taiyouna looked down at Sailormoon, tears glimmering in her eyes. "I love you, my sister..."  
  
And then she raised her eyes back to the piece of the Sun which was glowing like it was the actual sun, mimicing the warmth and light of the real sun.   
  
She let go, gave herself up completely to oblivion.   
  
As her form disappeared into sparkling dust, the world seemed to contort and twist around them. As the world around them faded into dusk, a vision seemed to enter their eyes. Later, they'd all wonder if it was just a dream, or if it had truly happened and they'd been blessed with the gift of being able to glimpse a piece of Heaven.   
  
Taiyouna, looking whole and healthy and radiant, slowly climbed wide marble stairs, the air around her shimmering with hope and joy and love. Waiting for her at the top of the stairs were Queen Serenity and another man.. Taiyouna and Serenity's father.   
  
The two reached out and welcomed Taiyouna into their embrace, hugging her, and whispering to her how proud they were of her, how wonderful she was. She was safe, and someday, when Princess Serenity's time had drawn to a close on Earth, she would have her sister back. Until then, they would all wait, together, for her.   
  
  
They never spoke of Taiyouna, Keisei, Enjou, Mihari, or Mikasuki. It was as if it had never existed, yet they knew it had beyond a shadow of a doubt because their bonds of friendship had deepened to a level that they'd never reached before. And Mamoru and Usagi's love only grew stronger with Taiyouna's love to strengthen both of them.   
  
The evening that would have been Taiyouna's death in the other, before Time, drew to a close with the most spectacular shower of falling stars that had ever or would ever be seen again. When Usagi went to her bed that night, she found a small package on her pillow. Tearing the wrapping from it, she found herself holding the broken pieces of Sailorsol's locket.   
  
The very next day she'd take it to a jewelers and have it repaired. She'd wear it over her heart every day after that, even when she was Neo Queen Serenity. She knew she'd still be wearing it the day she and King Endymion lay down together in their bed, their hands clasped, their breaths twining together, expiring as one.  
  
And she knew that somewhere, on the other end of the rainbow, Taiyouna and her mother and father would be there, waiting for her, and that Taiyouna had given her the locket so Usagi'd know she was never truly alone and that Taiyouna had not forgotten her promise never to leave her little sister.   
  
She knew that on that day, she'd be able to give it back, and be able fulfill her promise to always have her sister.  
  
Until then...   
  
Her hands curled about the locket and she clutched it to her chest, looking up through the window towards the moon. Until then, she had Taiyouna's promise to cling to.   
  
She smiled, ruffled Luna's ears gently, and climbed into bed.   
  
Before going to sleep, she told herself a story. She repeated to herself the story of her older sister, vowing to never forget one detail of it and to make sure future generations always knew of the bravery of the Senshi of the Sun.   
  
Her eyes closed slightly, and as she reached that bridge between awakefullness and sleep she could see someone sitting on the end of the bed, a tiny, glimmering outline that could barely be seen.   
  
"Good evening 'Ari.." She murmured through sleep deadened lips, stretching slightly, sighing and settling even deeper into sleep. Mihari smiled softly, reaching out to ruffle Usagi's hair affectionately. Usagi sighed contentedly, her mumbled words barely comprehensible.   
  
"How many marshmallows do you want tonight in your hot cocoa?"  
  
FINIS.  
  
~*~  
Well there's the end. I'm sorry that this chapter is like twice as long as the other two chapters. *weeps* I just couldn't bear to break my word and put it in another Chapter. Sides, I couldn't think of a good name.   
;_;...  
  
Anyway. Remember to CandC, all right? 'Member; amby-chan@sailormoon.com or simply review it. Tell me what you think!!  
  
Well, until next time, I'll leave you with one quote that really inspired this fanfic, and kept me going when I'd reached dead ends with the story...   
  
"Everything will be ok in the end.   
If it's not ok, then it's not the end."   
  
In the name of the moon,   
Lady Ambre aka Amby-chan.... 


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